Zelenskyy Says He Would Freeze Front Lines for Quickest Ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is willing to freeze the war along the current line of contact as part of a ceasefire, calling it "the quickest way" to stop the fighting, in an interview with Sky News.

Zelenskyy rejected the idea that freezing the front lines amounts to conceding Russian demands. "No, it's not just to give," he said. "To stay where we are means to give the people of Ukraine more possibilities to save their children, and for soldiers to come back. I think this is important for us." He stressed that any freeze must be part of a broader diplomatic process to prevent renewed aggression. "We want to stop the war in a way where the war will not come back," he said. "It's not the idea just to freeze, but the quickest way is to freeze and to move it to a diplomatic setting."

The most urgent need from allies is air defense, Zelenskyy said, citing a large deficit in anti-ballistic missiles, with U.S. transfers slowed by the war in the Middle East. He again asked for more Patriot systems. Russia attacks daily, usually with around 300 long-range explosive drones; on the heaviest nights it launches 600 to 850 drones and dozens of missiles. Ukraine's interceptors now down most of them, but gaps remain dangerous.

Ukraine has built more than 400 defense companies since the full-scale invasion, Zelenskyy said. Dozens rank among the world's strongest. They produce drones and missiles, some underground, and the country is close to its own ballistic missile. Ukraine can now share that expertise with allies and even build air defenses for Europe, he said. Kyiv aims to mass-produce drones on a scale few countries can match.

Zelenskyy confirmed that Russian businessman Roman Abramovich came to Kyiv in May to carry messages to Russian President Vladimir Putin. "He came to Kyiv. He said I [brought a] message direct to you, and I want to take messages from you and to give it to [Vladimir] Putin," Zelenskyy said, addressing the reports for the first time. "But he said that it has to be [done] silently without any kind of publicity. I said it's your choice – for us, it doesn't matter." Zelenskyy said the meeting itself was "not a secret," and that Abramovich wanted to understand "what we are ready to do" regarding possible peace negotiations. Zelenskyy said he told Abramovich Ukraine will not leave the Donbas region. "It was the key message. I said we will not leave. We will not give you a victory in such way." When asked whether Abramovich was acting as a go-between with Putin, Zelenskyy said: "When he got the messages from me, he said he would go directly to Putin."

Zelenskyy said Putin understands only "total pressure." He said Putin does not want to stop the war and is signaling he wants to win. Whether the fighting ends "100% depends on his decision," Zelenskyy said. Russia has rejected every ceasefire Ukraine and the U.S. have put forward and keeps refusing to halt the war it launched with its full-scale invasion in 2022. Russia insists Ukraine surrender the entire Donetsk region, including areas Russian forces have not seized.